38 BoC section heads, district collectors axed

Bureau of Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña has relieved 38 district collectors and section chiefs for disregarding his marching order to stop corruption and benchmarking in their ports.

On the other hand, Lapeña promoted over 500 personnel in a bid to improved trade facilitation and fight corruption.

The eight district collectors who were axed from their posts were Elvira Cruz of the Port of Cebu; Romeo Rosales of the Port of San Fernando; Julius Premediles of the Port of Limay; Jose Naig of the Port of Iloilo; Carmelita Talusan of the Port of Subic; Divina Garrido of the Port of Legazpi; Halleck Valdez of the Port of Zamboanga; and Tomas Alcid of Port of Appari.

The eight relieved district collectors were moved to the Compliance Monitoring Unit, according to Customs Personnel Order No. B-76-2017.

The 30 section chiefs who were relieved were from the Formal Entry Divisions of the Port of Manila and Manila International Container Port. They were reassigned to provincial collection districts.

“The reason for the relief of collectors coming from different ports of the country is the performance in collection as well as the practice of benchmarking,” said Lapeña, who had said he would relieve any officer disregarding his marching order to stop corruption and benchmarking in their ports.

Lapeña said if the practice of benchmarking – setting a certain value for an entire container van regardless of the individual value of its content – continues, it will often lead to importers giving “tara” or grease money for faster facilitation which is a form of corruption.

Meanwhile, three officials from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency that Lapeña previously headed recently assumed “critical posts” in the BoC.

Lapeña named Melvin Estoque from the PDEA Regional Office 7 as the new chief of the Account Management Office which is in charge of accrediting importers.

Director Jeoffrey Tacio from PDEA Regional Office 1 have been assigned as the officer in charge of the Import Assessment Service. It was vacated by Director Milo Maestrecampo who had resigned. IAS monitors all import values of the goods taken into the country to prevent instances of undervaluation.

Atty. Jacquelyn L. de Guzman from the PDEA Regional Office 4-B was appointed as the new officer-in-charge of the Administration Office.